By Johnathan Wilber | Communications Officer
Sit down with any Trace Foundation fellow, and they will tell you the same thing: There's a teaching style common in Tibetan areas of China called “Jug and Mug.” The teacher—the full jug—pours knowledge into the students—the empty mugs. And this teaching style is the single biggest challenge facing Tibetan students today.
“The teacher is the knower, and he or she transmits knowledge to the students by lecturing," one of our recent fellows, Kelsang Gyi explains. Since we supported her a few years ago to study teaching methodology and English in the United States, she has been winning her colleagues over, one at a time. The problem with Jug and Mug, she tells them, is that no student is ever an empty mug; and that's why she advocates for facilitating discussion, creating a safe learning environment, and encouraging students to become self-learners.
Each year, we support more than 500 individuals by covering the costs of tuition and living expenses. With your tremendous contributions, we've raised $20,548 for our project since December 2012 ($19,048 through GlobalGiving and another $1,500 through other donations). Moving beyond Jug and Mug is no easy goal, but with your support, we know we can transform education on the Tibetan Plateau from the ground up, one donation, one student, one teacher like Kelsang Gyi at a time.
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